Robot System Load Balancing via Area Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems face inefficiencies in processing workpieces at high conveyance speeds due to uneven distribution of processing loads among multiple robots, leading to decreased overall work efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A robot system with a control device that divides the conveying path into areas associated with specific robots, using image capture and detection to allocate workpieces based on their positions and orientations, ensuring balanced processing loads and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple robots are used to handle workpieces at high conveyance speeds, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying path is divided into multiple areas, with each area assigned to a specific robot. This segmentation allows workpieces to be distributed to different robots based on their position, enabling parallel processing and improving productivity while maintaining manageable system complexity through structured division of labor
2Productivity
If workpieces are distributed to multiple robots, then productivity is improved, but load distribution becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
An image capturing device detects the position and orientation of each workpiece, providing feedback information to the control device. The control device uses this feedback to dynamically determine which robot should handle each workpiece, ensuring balanced load distribution across all robots while maintaining high productivity
3Productivity
If conveyance speed is increased, then productivity is improved, but workpiece handling accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The image capturing device captures images of workpieces at upstream positions before they reach the robots. This preliminary detection allows the control device to calculate conveyance distances and determine appropriate robots in advance, ensuring accurate workpiece handling even at high conveyance speeds
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A robot system comprising: a conveying device that conveys workpieces; a plurality of robots that performs a working operation on the workpieces conveyed by the conveying device; an image capturing device that is placed at an upper stream side of the conveying device than the plurality of robots to capture a conveying path of the conveying device; a workpiece detecting device that detects the workpieces on the conveying path on the basis of an image captured by the image capturing device; and a control device that controls operations of the plurality of robots, and the control device including: an operation instruction unit that generates an operation instruction for performing a holding operation on the workpieces on the basis of a detection result of the workpiece detecting device and transmits the operation instruction to the robots; and an allocating unit that determines which of the plurality of robots to which the operation instruction unit transmits the operation instruction on the basis of conveying situations of the workpieces obtained from the detection result of the workpiece detecting device, wherein the image capturing device captures different areas on the conveying path of the conveying device, and the control device instructs the robot associated each of the areas captured by the image capturing device to perform the holding operation on the corresponding workpieces.